I have started using the Shea Moisture Coconut Hibiscus Shampoo and Milk. It has helped my hair so much in this dry winter weather! I never thought something so full of oil would work on my hair! I am still trying to figure out exactly how to best use it. I would love advice or to hear about how you use the products.

When I used more traditional products I used a pencil eraser or dime sized amount of shampoo on just my scalp and coat all my hair in rinse out conditioner. I leave the rinse out in while I do the rest of my showering.

I have been doing the same thing with the Shea Moisture products. I used the Milk as a rinse out. Today I bought full sized bottles (I had started out with the kit.) I realized the shampoo bottle is larger than the milk. This has me thinking maybe I should use more shampoo.

The shampoo is so moisturizing I'm wondering if it is more of a conditioning shampoo that won't cause problems if I use it in all of my hair. If I did that I am thinking maybe because it is so moisturizing I could truly use the milk as a leave in and not have to use it in the shower to help detangle. My hair seems like it could still use a bit more moisture in this weather which using it as a leave in would also help.

I guess my big question is should I use the coconut hibiscus shampoo as more of a conditioning shampoo to be used in all of the hair. Any thoughts or personal experiences? Thanks!

I have the Shea moisture coconut and Habiscus producs also, which I really like. I use the shampoo like a traditional shampoo, mainly on my scalp/roots. It is a good gentle shampoo, but not moisturizing enough for me to use in place of a RO conditioner. I use a different RO conditioner, and then use the moisture milk as a LI.

2c/3a, botticelli/wavy/'swavy (huh?)

fine, dense, normal porosity/elasticity, dry climate

My favorite brands are Kinky Curly, As I am, Curly Kinks, Curl Junkie, and Darcy's Botanicals. Also love sealing with oils (loving argan oil right now) and styling with jelly products (KCCC is my current favorite). Mostly trying to keep it simple!

Thank you for your help! Maybe I need to investigate a different rinse out. I always try to use shampoo and conditioner that are the same brand so hadn't considered this. I stumbled onto this line because I was reading about my hair type on this website. It made me realize how much my low porosity really effects things. I had NO CLUE how much I needed to take that into consideration. The site recommended hair milks for low porosity. I didn't know what a milk was but I did some googling and came across this stuff. I don't know if this is what they meant. It doesn't seem very milky to me and it was so oily I was scared to death to use it the first time but my hair is doing really well with it.

I tried the curl and shine kit too. I also just use the shampoo as a scalp and follow with the shea moisture restorative conditioner. I used the curl milk as a leave in and truthfully didnt like it in wet hair but found great results using it on 2nd or 3rd day hair for added shine and to give bounce back. I prefer the curl smoothie as a leave in for wet hair

I just decided to stick to my regular routine and I have started using the curl smoothie which I wasn't using. That seems to have helped. It gives my curls that added bit of umph I feel like I need in the winter without having to go over board with the conditioner. I'm just trying to make my products stretch as long as possible. When I saw the sizes of the bottles I thought maybe I was going about things wrong. Since the shampoo bottle is the largest I thought maybe that is what I should be using the most of. No, of course not! What I need the most of is in the smallest bottle it seems!

First, I love the SM line. Both the moisture retention, and the coconut hibiscus. I alternate the shampoos, and I shampoo daily. LOVE them. However, I have not tried their conditioners, I use 3; Cure Care (sally beauty); Vo5 Shea Cashmere (.99 in the grocery store); and Giovanni Smooth as Silk deep conditioner. I find that I do not need a heavy conditioner. The CH line is frustrating because it is very difficult to figure out what does what. I have the shine spray and mostly dont use it. But, generally the shampoos are moisturizing enough for me that I dont need much else.

I have the shine spray and haven't used it much yet but I see it really coming in handy. I think it will be great for giving my curls a boost if I am going somewhere in the evening. It seems like it will help control frizz on a bad hair day. Also, I sometimes pull the sides of my hair back in a barrette. If I am not having a good day and play with it too much and struggle getting it back my curls will get straighter or frizzy. I think it will also be good to spray on after that. Basically, it seems great for a bad hair day or as boost later in the day.

I'm loving the coconut hibiscus products. I usually have to use different products in the summer and winter. This is my new winter find because I don't like what I was using last winter as much anymore. It's so great I'm wondering if I will be able to continue using it in the summer! I had been using the Giovanni Smooth As Silk which I loved but it failed me when the humidity left and cold weather came. I did just realize the Giovanni shampoo has a cone. I was never aware that cones could be a problem until I tried Salon Grafix before the shea moisture. I loved the way it made my hair look but it made my hair feel like straw. I think it was a cone!

However, I have not tried their conditioners, I use 3; Cure Care (sally beauty); Vo5 Shea Cashmere (.99 in the grocery store); and Giovanni Smooth as Silk deep conditioner. I find that I do not need a heavy conditioner.

Originally Posted by Myrna

That is how I ended up trying the shampoo and conditioner. I definitely need a good moisturizing conditioner because I have extremely thick hair that gets tangled and can get frizzy. But, from reading here I realize due to being low porosity I need a light conditioner. Between the weight of my thick hair and a heavy conditioner my hair can end up looking really flat. These products including the conditioner I think are very moisturizing yet very light.